Automatic control mechanism for elevators



July 19, 1955 c. w. LERCH 2,713,645

AUTOMATIC CONTROL MECHANISM FOR ELEVATORS Filed March 19, 1953 70 5151 4701? (04/771 01 (l/PClI/ZS IN V EN TOR. mflfic, MMVM ATTORNEYS.

This invention relates nisrns for elevators, and apparatus for automatica y in an automatic elevator syste loaded to capacity.

in the early stages of dtr vator controls, the r the elevator car were operator, under the g -stop signals en the car is ZZCI to the car situated on actu the various floors served by t in such relatively sin operator was normally L stop si tals, subject be exercised by the i a down trip, for example, the elev't .n matting 'ne tilled to capacit could proceed g subsequent stop signals or opera a ma ual switch within al panel unresponsive to tons, considerable 1g control apparatus -ticaliy to floors ll.LQ the car than it can safely handle, thus adding a hazard to the operation of the elevator.

Many efforts have been made to develop a suitable control mechanism to meet situation. The usual approach to the problem some sort of switch automatically l t being carried by the elevator t floor-stop :1 critical value, ticularly satisfactory, "s vary so such structures have not due primarily to the fact that w or passe greatly and to the face that we 'sponsive n echanisms are dilficult to keep in good condition to provide accurate operation.

The present invention has for its object the provision an autom ic elevtor-contr l mechanism wherein ancy or": floor 5;. c in the rather than weight, is the critical factor ch determines when the elevator will reject floor-stop Si rials.

In furtherance of that object, of the present have the floor is esp-e occupancy-respo 1e switch, c matic rejection or floor-stop s als w space is fully occupied, regardless carried by the car.

it is a secondary ohject .v ie elevator in which construc t. suction as an save to effect autover the floor of the weight being l stens Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the detailed description of the invention which follows.

In the accompanying drawing, l have illustrated a typical embodiment of my invention. Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a typical elevator car; Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic plan view of the floor of elevator 1, showing the arrangement of the special floor sections which form an important part of my invention; Fig. 3 is a sectional View through the elevator floor, taken along the line 33 of Fig. 2, showing parts of two floor sections made according to my invention; and Fig. 4 is schematic diagram showing the electrical wiring circuit of the floor switches which form an important part of my invention.

in the drawing, as may be noted from Fig. l, I have shown a conventional elevator car ill having a floor ll which, in normal installations, will customarily be covered with carpeting or some suitable floor surface such rubber tile or lineoleum, shown illustratively in Fig. 3 as a piled carpet l2.

Beneath floor covering 12, the floor i1 is covered over subs itially its entire surface by a plurality of rectangular or square floor panels 13, in the example shown, each of which is independent 0t its neighbors. Each of the panels l3 may have an area in the neighborhood or. from one to three square feet. Panels 13 may made from any rigid mater' capable of supporting a reasonable amount of weight; pi .vood is a pa ticularly suitable choice, although any other material having the I ssary physical strength may be used.

ch of the panels 13 is supported near each of its "pective corners on a coil spring 14. The springs l-l are relatively strong springs, ca ulated, with the resilience of floor covering 12, to provide an over-all feel characteristic of a deep-pile rug. Adjacent each of the of the springs 1 I provide a limiting stop member 15, seated firmly in the floor Ll adjusted to provide for each of the panels 13 a maximum range of downward movement of perhaps one-sixteenth of an inch or thereabouts.

in the floor construction which I have described, a person entering the elevator car will have the sensation of walking on a slightly yieldable, springy fioor. When he takes up his standinposition within the car, his feet will be resting on one or more of the individual panels 13 and will force them downward against the force of the springs l4 until they are brought to rest on limit members 15.

Adjacent each of the floor panels 13, I provide 21 normally open microswitch 16, having its actuating button 17 in contact with the under side of floor panel 13. Downward movement of the panel 13 between its normal rest position on spring 14 and its depressed position against stop members 15 causes actuation of the microswitches 16.

Obviously, a person standing near one corner of one of the panels 13 1 .ight cause downward movement of only a small portion of the panel. Nevertheless, any such pressure, wherever applied, will force at least one corner of such panel down against its stop member 15 and thereby cause one of the switches 16 to be actuated.

Fig. 4 shows the manner in which the various switches 16 are wired together. Each of the panels 13 is provided with four switches 16, schematically indicated in Fig. 4, and all of the switches under any given panel 13 are connected in parallel. Those switcl in turn, are connected in series with the correspr array of switches under each of the other panels. terminal leads 2i connecting to the aforesaid circuit may be connected in any appropriate manner to the elevator control circuits for the purpose of causing the H- H. HAMMERSTROM ET AL 2,713,646 SELF-STARTING ALTERNATING CURRENT MOTORS Jul 19, 1955 Filed April 15, 1954 W a W m W A H m .555 ,8. h/oaea e INVENTORS firrmavey 

